We wrote this book because, after a combined 60 years' of working with leaders on their development, we know there is a far better way to go about it. The current ''state-of-the-art'' of the Leadership Development field is not up to the task of developing leaders for the complex challenges we are facing now, let alone for the future.

We need leaders of greater effectiveness and integrity, mastery and maturity, courage and compassion, competence and character, consciousness and wisdom. We need those leaders now. Not only is complexity outpacing the development of effective and consciously competent leaders, but the world is facing a leadership crisis. Our collective welfare, organizationally and globally, depends on our ability to develop leaders that are up to the challenge of creating a thriving future for everyone.

Most of our approaches to developing leaders are inadequate. They are episodic, not systemic; individually focused, instead of individually and collectively focused; they are too often superficial, lacking the depth required for genuine breakthrough; and they are generally sponsored, not led, by top leadership. Add to this, that the field of Leadership Development is a random collection of unintegrated theory and research. As long as we continue to approach the development of leadership this way we will continue to fall short. We wrote this book to document how we have changed this and to raise the bar on how to develop great leadership.

In one compelling read, Mastering Leadership integrates the best theory, research and practice into the first Universal Model of Leadership to arise in the field. It radically shifts the understanding of extraordinary leadership and how to champion its development. It thoroughly describes the sequential stages of leadership mastery and maturity. It outlines six powerful practices that will reliably evolve your leadership, individually and collectively. As we unfold the Universal Model, chapter-by-chapter, we provide research that links all of this to measures of leadership effectiveness and business performance; metrics to assess your progress; and case studies to guide your own transformational success story. Research and case studies demonstrate the transformative capability of the Universal Model and demonstrate how to implement a systemic approach to the development of leaders and the Leadership System of your organization.

We wrote this book for all of us. For most of us in leadership, complexity is outpacing our rate of development. We are in over our heads whether we know it or not. We invite you to accelerate the development of your leadership effectiveness by taking The Leadership Circle Profile Self-Assessment that comes with this book. The assessment, which measures leadership

effectiveness through the lens of the Universal Model, in combination with this book, is a complete leadership development system. Together, they take you on a deep dive into the terrain of transformation, yours and your organization's.

We need better leaders at all levels men and women who create thriving futures, healthy cultures and competitive companies; who balance short-term profitability with long-term sustainability; who create a better world. Mastering leadership is now a strategic priority, a competitive advantage and a global imperative. By committing to this imperative you can:

• Develop through each stage in the journey of mastering leadership.
• Turn your leadership capabilities into a distinct competitive advantage.
• Cultivate leaders in your organization with a proven leadership development system.
• Infuse every business conversation with leadership guidance.
• And much more

Mastering Leadership is a complete system for developing yourself, your team and your organization's Leadership System to maximize performance. It is our sincere hope that this book will support your leadership for life.